Because of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement in 1996, states get money based on the smoking rate (units sold). When the smoking rate goes down, they get l

Because of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement in 1996, states get money based on the smoking rate (units sold). When the smoking rate goes down, they get less money. Like it or not, states /pols are incentivized to keep smokers around. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_Master_Settlement_Agreement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_Master_Settlement_Agre... >It would require politicians on both sides of the aisle to be actively interested in budgetary policy. They are much more so at the state level because states can't print money.